JPH11319088A - Syringe assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an array of a syringe assembly by facilitating the packaging and handling of a syringe during the production process and the filling process of a medicine. SOLUTION: This syringe assembly 20 is provided with a roughly flexible support strip 40 which keeps a plurality of syringes 22 in a preselected alignment state. The support strip 40 has first and second strips 50 and 52 and the first and second strips 50 and 52 are preferably connected to allow receiving and holding of outer cylinder parts 56 and 62 of the syringes therebetween.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates generally to a structure for packaging and handling medical syringes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a structure having a continuous flexible strip to keep a plurality of syringes in a preselected alignment for packaging and handling purposes.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Hypodermic syringes are well known and come in various forms. One challenge associated with all hypodermic syringes is to properly and efficiently package and handle the syringe during the manufacturing and drug filling processes.

[0003]

Although various forms of packaging and handling techniques and machines have been developed or proposed, most of these tend to specialize in handling one particular type of syringe. is there. In addition, most existing equipment tends to create undesirable costs due to excessive complexity of the machine, or to an excessive amount of waste that needs to be discarded or recycled. Furthermore, current packaging and handling methods are often labor intensive, which leads to additional costs in the manufacturing or packaging process.

[0004] One solution developed by the assignee of the present invention involves connecting multiple syringes together by an integral web portion extending between the syringes. This solution is
No. 4,865,592, issued Sep. 12, 1989. While this solution is useful for keeping the syringe in a substantially parallel alignment for the packaging and pre-filling steps of the drug, it is not without its disadvantages and drawbacks.

In the arrangement described in US Pat. No. 4,865,592, the syringe itself is integrally formed and made of the same material in a web portion extending between the syringes. This incurs unnecessary costs since the plastic materials used in the manufacture of such syringes are also used for connecting the web parts. This creates unnecessary waste and the cost cannot be minimized, since the web parts are later removed and discarded. In addition, a rigid web portion limits the number of syringes that can be included in a single package. Further, the arrangement of this patent is exclusive in that it is suitable only for the particular type of syringe disclosed in that patent. In addition, this arrangement requires the use of external tools or some device to separate the syringe when needed.

[0006] During the manufacturing and drug filling processes, there is a need for a syringe assembly arrangement that facilitates the packaging and handling of the syringe. Further, there is a need for such an arrangement that can be used with a variety of syringes, is economical and avoids the generation of unwanted waste material. It is further desirable to provide an arrangement that is reusable and that functions easily in a variety of packaging or handling situations.

The present invention addresses these needs while avoiding the shortcomings and shortcomings of the prior art.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Generally described, the present invention provides a method for interconnecting a plurality of syringes and for handling the syringes efficiently and easily during the packaging and filling of the syringes. Fig. 9 is a syringe assembly having a flexible strip to maintain a selected alignment. Syringe assemblies designed according to the present invention each have a barrel portion at one end,
At its second end, it has a plurality of syringes with a needle support. A central axis extends along the center of the outer cylinder and the support portion of the needle. The syringe is preferably made of a substantially rigid plastic material. A support strip, preferably made of a substantially flexible material, engages a portion of each barrel section so that the syringe is maintained in a preselected relative alignment, where each The central axis of the syringe is substantially parallel to the central axis of the other syringes. Further, a preselected spacing between syringes is maintained along a single syringe assembly.

[0009] The support strip of the present invention can take various forms. One embodiment comprises a single strip of material having a plurality of barrel receiving portions;
In this case, the syringe barrels are snap-fit to these barrel receiving portions and are selectively maintained in the desired alignment by the support strip. In another embodiment, the support strip has two strips that snap together. These strips constrain the syringe barrel between the strips so that the syringe is maintained in the desired alignment. The preferred embodiment is 2
With three strips, these strips
While receiving the barrel portion of the syringe between the two strips, they are secured to each other. In this latter embodiment, the two strips can be held together by an adhesive, or the strips can be heated or melted or fused together to form a support strip. Can be manufactured.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows a syringe assembly 20 in which a plurality of syringes 22 are maintained in selected alignment with respect to one another. Each of the syringes 22 includes a barrel portion 24 that extends from a first end 26 along a major portion of the syringe 22. A flange 29 at the end of the barrel portion 24 facilitates use of the syringe 22 during a normal subcutaneous injection procedure. Needle support portion 28 is located near second end 30 of syringe 22. In the embodiment shown, the needle cover 32 is located at a predetermined position outside the needle of the hypodermic syringe. A central axis 34 extends through the center of the outer barrel portion 24 and the needle support portion 28.

The syringe 22 is maintained by the support strip 40 in a preselected alignment, including that the central axis 34 of the syringe 22 is preferably substantially parallel. The support strip 40 is preferably made of a substantially flexible material. The support strip 40 is preferably arranged in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the axis 34 of the syringe 22. The support strip 40 engages the barrel portion 24 of the syringe 22 in a manner described in more detail below. The support strip 40 has a width W sufficient to selectively keep the syringe 22 in a suitable relative alignment.

The support strip 40 designed in accordance with the present invention can take various forms. FIG. 2 shows the support strip 40 of FIG. 1 in more detail.
The support strip 40 includes a plurality of outer cylinder receiving portions 42.
And a plurality of connecting portions 44 extending between the outer cylinder receiving portions 42. Preferably, each barrel portion 24 of the syringe 22 is snap-fitted and received within a corresponding barrel receiving portion 42. The inner surface of the receiving portion 42 of the barrel preferably has ends 46, 48 that allow the syringe 22 to rest on the support strip 40 until the syringe is selectively removed for use. Outer cylinder portion 24 in such a way as to keep it in place
Engages. The embodiment of FIG. 2 includes an outer cylinder receiving portion 42 surrounding at least half of the outer
Preferably, 6, 48 are located in a position effective to keep syringe 22 on support strip 40.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a support strip 40, designated by reference numeral 40 '.
In this embodiment, the support strip 40 'comprises a first strip 50 and a second strip 52. Each of the strips 50, 52 is preferably made of the same generally flexible material. The preferred material for this embodiment is plastic.

The first strip 50 has a plurality of connecting portions 54 extending between outer tube receiving portions 56. These connecting portions 54 preferably have a plurality of snap projections 58 extending from the inner surface of the first strip 50. The second strip 52 has a corresponding plurality of interconnecting portions 60 extending between the barrel receiving portions 62.
It is preferable to have The inner surface of the connection portion 60 preferably has a stop 64 that engages the corresponding projection 58 from the first strip 50. In this manner, the first strip 50 is snap-fit to the second strip 52 and the barrel portion 24 of the syringe 22 is received in the barrel receiving portions 56, 62 as desired.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 shows a wide variety of syringes 2.
2 has the advantage that it can be used with any of a number of suitable materials. Also, the embodiment of FIG. 3 provides a more or less secure connection between the support strip 40 'and the syringe 22 compared to the embodiment of FIGS.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 is reusable and allows any particular syringe 22 to be connected to the syringe assembly 20.
This has the advantage of allowing it to be selectively removed or replaced from

FIG. 4 shows a preferred embodiment of the support strip 40 ″. FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of an assembly arrangement for manufacturing the syringe assembly 20.
A plurality of syringes 22 are supported on a movable support member 70 which preferably moves in the direction of arrow 72 under control of a computer (not shown). The syringe 22 moves with respect to the pair of reels 74 and 76. First reel 74
Supports a roll 78 of material that is the first strip of the support strip 40 ". Similarly, a second reel 76.
Supports a roll 80, the second strip of the support strip 40 ". The preferred material for the first strip 78 and the second strip 80 is plastic,
Various materials may be used, such as foil or other generally flexible materials.

The first strip 78 and the second strip 80 are preferably joined together at a portion extending between the syringe barrels. The inner surface of at least one of the first strip 78 or the second strip 80
An adhesive useful for joining the two strips together at an intermediate portion may be included. Alternatively, the inner surface (ie, facing the syringe barrel and during the assembly process,
An adhesive may be applied on the other strip facing side). The adhesive can be a heat-sensitive or a contact adhesive. Yet another alternative is a first strip 78 and a second strip made of a plastic material that can be easily melted together in such a way that they are joined together without substantially deforming them. 80, including the use of

Each of the pair of movable members 82 has an inner surface 84. The inner surface 84 includes a first strip 78 and a second strip 8 as the movable member 82 moves inward and outward relative to the row of syringes 22, as indicated by arrows 86.
0 is positively engaged. The contour of the inner surface 84 is
It is preferable to have recesses 88, 90 for telescopically receiving the barrel 22 of the syringe when the 2 moves inward. By moving the movable member 82 sufficiently inward, the first strip 78 is brought into contact with the second strip 80,
At the same time, the first and second strips wrap around the barrel portion of the syringe between the two movable members 82.
In one embodiment in which the first strip 78 is joined to the second strip 80 using a contact adhesive, the movable members 82 are brought closer together so that the first and second strips are in contact. Simply move the syringe 22
Is sufficient to secure the desired alignment supported by the support strip 40 ".

In one embodiment in which a heat sensitive adhesive is used, the inner surface 84 of the movable member 82 includes a suitably heated surface or heating element for applying and properly bonding the adhesive to the syringe 22. Can be supported in a selected alignment. Similarly, in embodiments where materials heated to form the support strip 40 "are fused or fused together, the inner surface 84
Includes suitable heating surfaces or elements to connect the first strip 78 and the second strip 80 as desired.

As can be seen from the view of FIG. 4, each time movable member 82 moves inward enough distance to join the first strip to the second strip, four syringes 2 are moved.
2 is fixed between the first strip 78 and the second strip 80. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the support strip is preferably located near the first end 26 of the syringe 22. Placing the support strip around the syringe barrel portion 24 is particularly advantageous in that it provides a more secure connection. Outer cylinder part 2
4 typically has a larger diameter than the support portion 28 of the needle, thus providing a more stable surface connecting the syringe 22 to the support strip. Further, providing a joint around the outer barrel portion reduces the risk of damaging the needle support portion 28 of the syringe 22.

In most circumstances, the syringe 22 is preferably removed from the support strip without using any external tools. When the syringe 22 needed to be removed from the assembly 20, the support strip was
In embodiments including two strips (ie, first strip 78 and second strip 80),
These support strips are simply split into first and second strips. This operation is similar to the case of separating the first strip 50 and the second strip 52 of the embodiment of FIG. The difference between these two separations is
The first and second strips glued together are in most cases not re-adherable by hand.

In an embodiment where the first strip 78 and the second strip 80 are effectively fused or fused together, the middle portion extending between the barrels of the syringe includes a plurality of notches or holes. Preferably, 96 are provided. The notch or hole portion 96 facilitates easy removal of a selected number of syringes from the assembly without the use of external tools.
The notch 96 is used during the assembly process to move the inner surface 84
The projections are preferably formed by forming suitable projections on the support strip 40 "during the assembly process. Alternatively, the first strips 78 and Second strip 80
Can be pre-notched or formed in the reels 74, 76 respectively.

Even after the syringe has been removed from the assembly,
In an embodiment where the support strip 40 "is secured around the barrel portion 24 in such a way that the barrel receiving portion of the support strip remains on the syringe, all the markings on the barrel portion of the syringe are provided. Preferably, the material of the support strip is transparent so that is visible through the support strip.

Once the syringe assembly 20 has been completed, it has the advantage that the syringe assembly can be used immediately in the prefilling process. For example, a high speed linear drug loading device can easily accommodate an assembly 20 of multiple syringes 22. In addition, syringe 2
The preselected relative alignment of 2 makes these syringes well suited to being provided in a pre-aligned state in the pre-filling device. Further, the syringe 22
After being assembled in the syringe assembly 20, it can be sterilized in large quantities.

Another advantage of the assembly 20 is that it immediately serves to package a large number of syringes 22 for transport or handling. FIG. 5 shows a first syringe assembly 100.
Is nested with the second syringe assembly 102. Syringe assembly 100 is combined with syringe assembly 102. In other words, the syringe of one assembly is located in the intermediate space between the syringes of the other assembly.

FIG. 6 shows one preferred orientation of the two assemblies 100, 102 in the package 104. The continuous, flexible support strip allows multiple syringes to be placed in the package 104 in a folded pattern. The folded pattern 106 of FIG. 6 is preferably substantially S-shaped. This allows for easy packaging that minimizes the amount of bulky packaging material that needs to be used when handling multiple syringes 22. The stable alignment of the syringe provided by the support strip 40 protects the syringe under most circumstances and reduces the amount of packaging material required. Further, the continuous support strip facilitates continuous removal of a selected number of syringes 22 from the package without disturbing the overall placement of the syringes.

The most preferred alignment of the first assembly 100 and the second assembly 102 of the syringe 22 is shown in FIG. In this arrangement, the needle support portion 2 of one assembly
8 is arranged in the same direction as the outer cylinder part 24 of the other syringe assembly. In other words, the assembly 100
The first end 26 of each syringe 22 at is adjacent to the second end 30 of each syringe 22 of the second assembly 102. Such an arrangement maximizes the packing density and allows a very large number of syringes to be placed in any given package.

The use of a variety of generally flexible materials for the support strip of the present invention makes the strip usable and applicable to a wide variety of syringe types. Further, the arrangement of the present invention allows for easy access to a selected number of syringes without the need for using external tools or devices to remove the syringes from the assembly. Furthermore, when the syringe assembly is designed according to the present invention, relatively inexpensive materials can be used to form the support strip, and the amount of wasted material is minimized.

The above description is not intended to be limiting in nature, but merely as an example. This discloses the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention. Of course,
Variations and modifications of the disclosed embodiment which do not depart from the scope and spirit of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of legal protection conferred by the present invention can be otherwise determined only by studying the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a syringe assembly designed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing selected details of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a second embodiment of a support strip designed according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an assembly process showing a third embodiment of a support strip designed according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement of one or more syringe assemblies designed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of packaging a plurality of syringe assemblies designed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates another packaging method that can be used with the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 20 syringe assembly 22 syringe 24 barrel part 26 first end 28 needle support part 29 flange 30 second end 32 needle cover 34 center axis 40, 40 ', 40 "support strip 42 barrel receiving part 44 connection Portions 46, 48 End 50 First strip 52 Second strip 54 Connecting portion 56, 62 Barrel receiving portion 58 Snap projection 60 Interconnecting portion 64 Snap stop 70 Movable support member 72 Syringe 2
2 moving direction 74 first reel 76 second reel 78, 80 roll 82 movable member 84 inner surface 86 inner surface 84
Direction of movement 88,90 recess 96 notch or hole portion 100 first syringe assembly 102 second syringe assembly 104 package 106 folded pattern

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (71) Applicant 595117091 1 BECTON DRIVE, FRA NKLIN LAKES, NEW JE RSEY 07417-1880, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (72) Inventor Alfred W. Place, New Jersey 07421, Hughitt, New Jersey, United States of America Crest Drive 34 (72) Adriano Morigi Inventor, New Jersey, USA 70070, Rutherford, West New El Avenue 102

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of syringes, each having an outer barrel portion having one end at a first outer dimension and a second end having a second end smaller than the first outer dimension at a second end. A plurality of syringes made of a first substantially rigid material having a support portion of a needle having outer dimensions, a central axis extending along the center of the outer tubular portion and the needle support portion, A pre-selected spacing between each adjacent syringe made of two substantially flexible materials and including a substantially parallel alignment wherein each of said central axes is aligned substantially parallel to the other axis; A support strip engaging at least a portion of each of the barrel portions such that the syringe is maintained in a selected relative alignment. 2. The syringe assembly according to claim 1, wherein said support strip releasably holds said syringe in said preselected alignment, or wherein said support strip comprises A syringe assembly for engaging each of said barrel portions adjacent each said first end. 3. The syringe assembly of claim 2, wherein said support strip comprises a single strip of said substantially flexible material, said support strip comprising a plurality of syringe barrels. A receiving portion, each one of the plurality of syringes being snap-fitted into the syringe barrel receiving portion, wherein the syringe barrel receiving portion is at a distance corresponding to the preselected spacing between adjacent syringes. A syringe assembly spaced along the length of the strip. 4. The syringe assembly of claim 3, wherein each of the syringe barrel receiving portions has a substantially semi-circular cross-section, wherein the semi-circular cross-section is such that the barrel portion is a hand. A syringe assembly that surrounds the received barrel portion and remains engaged with the strip until removed from the syringe barrel receiving portion at. 5. The syringe assembly according to claim 1, wherein the support strip comprises two strips of the substantially flexible material that snap together. The strips snap together. When fitted, the barrel portion of the syringe is retained between the two strips;
Syringe assembly. 6. The syringe assembly of claim 5, wherein a first of the two strips includes a plurality of protrusions spaced along one side of the first strip. A second one of the two strips includes a corresponding plurality of stop members for receiving a respective one of the protrusions, wherein the first strip is positioned adjacent to the second strip. A syringe assembly for holding and selectively holding one of a selected one of said plurality of syringes in said preselected relative alignment. 7. The syringe assembly of claim 2, wherein the support strip is reusable, and a selected number of the syringes are removable from a respective barrel receiving portion; A syringe assembly, wherein the barrel receiving portion is adapted to selectively receive and hold the syringe in the relative alignment. 8. The syringe assembly of claim 1, wherein the strip member includes first and second plastic film strips each having an inner surface and an outer surface. A syringe assembly wherein a portion is received between inner surfaces of the first and second strips. 9. The syringe assembly according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the inner surfaces of the first or second strip has an adhesive, and the inner surfaces are separated from each other by an outer cylinder portion of the syringe. Or the first and second films are heated together to maintain a mutual fixation at the spacing between the barrel portions of the syringe, and the relative alignment of the syringes is maintained. A syringe assembly adapted to be held in place, or wherein said first and second strips are transparent. 10. The syringe assembly of claim 9, wherein portions of the first and second strips engaging the outer tube portion are secured to the outer tube portion and engage the outer tube. A syringe assembly, wherein the spaced portion of the first and second strips extending between the portions of the syringe includes a hole portion extending across the first and second strips.